During a Historic Hurricane Season, Microgrids Kept Communities Running

RMI describes the role of solar-plus-battery-storage microgrids in creating community resilience hubs, particularly during extreme weather events like hurricanes. Based on a cohort of leaders from various institutions, the guide outlines five key factors—facility suitability, electricity costs/net metering, energy efficiency, battery sizing strategies, and available funding—that can help non-taxable entities successfully implement microgrid projects in low-to-moderate income US communities.

• Solar-plus-battery-storage microgrids serve as the foundation for community resilience hubs by providing reliable power to essential facilities—such as churches, schools, and tribal buildings—during grid outages, while also reducing pollution and supporting local businesses during normal operations.
• RMI identified five supportive factors to 'greenlight' a microgrid project in low-to-moderate income US communities: the building's existing role as a community hub, high electricity costs paired with favorable net metering, high energy efficiency, the ability to afford a correctly sized battery, and access to state, utility, or federal grants.
• Battery sizing strategies should be tailored to the specific financial and resilience needs of the facility: batteries should be sized for 'critical load' when net metering rates are high, or for 'self-consumption' and 'peak shaving' when rates are low or unavailable.
• Non-taxable entities, including nonprofits, tribes, and local governments, can utilize the Investment Tax Credit (ITC) to cover 30–70 percent of the cost for installing a solar-plus-storage microgrid up to 1 MW via direct payments.

APA

RMI (2025). During a Historic Hurricane Season, Microgrids Kept Communities Running. https://rmi.org/resources/during-a-historic-hurricane-season-microgrids-kept-communities-running/

Chicago

RMI. During a Historic Hurricane Season, Microgrids Kept Communities Running. 2025. https://rmi.org/resources/during-a-historic-hurricane-season-microgrids-kept-communities-running/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=RMI |title=During a Historic Hurricane Season, Microgrids Kept Communities Running |date=24 February 2025 |url=https://rmi.org/resources/during-a-historic-hurricane-season-microgrids-kept-communities-running/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rmi2025during, author = {{RMI}}, title = {{During a Historic Hurricane Season, Microgrids Kept Communities Running}}, institution = {RMI}, year = {2025}, month = feb, url = {https://rmi.org/resources/during-a-historic-hurricane-season-microgrids-kept-communities-running/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }